UNPUBLISHED INTERVIEW FOR HIGHLIGHTS MAGAZINE - SEPTEMBER 2024
- Jacob Davies
- May 13
- 4 min read
Updated: May 13
In September 2024, Jacob Davies spoke to Highlights Magazine to promote the upcoming release of 'The Dream Must Die' . The interview was never published.
In 2026, Jacob is not signed to any publisher and has no plans to release a new collection of poetry. His only headlining performance of 2026 will take place on 27th June at The Attic, Leeds.
Read the full interview below;
What is your name?
Caden Cotard.
Tell us about your book.
My new collection of poetry ‘The Dream Must Die’ has been a long time coming,
and in many ways feels to me like a ‘best of’ my work. It is dark, cynical and
unbearably real – as I believe poetry should be.
Previously I have wrathfully penned a book of poems in a few months, whereas
some of the stuff in this collection I have been performing for three years now. It
might be the best quality and most complete collection I’ll ever write.
It also differs from my previous works in that the collection is meant to be spoken
aloud and performed, as much as read.
What three things do you think your readers should know about you or
your writing?
1. There are no pleasantries, or pretence – everything you read is real, raw
and true.
2. There are days of my life within the pages.
3. Please don’t take anything I write, say or do too seriously.
When did you decide to write a book?
As soon as my second collection ‘Every Night is November’ was released, I knew
I wanted to follow it up. So I suppose everything I have written since has been
subliminally part of the creative process of this collection.
If I didn’t write or have a constant creative purpose there would be no reason for
my existence, so I suppose it was less of a decision and more of a necessity, a
lifeguard.
After writing the book, how did you decide how and when to publish?
The dreaded question of publication had been niggling away at me throughout
the process of writing, and the answer to that question wasn’t as straightforward
as with ‘The Things They’ve Never Seen’ and ‘Every Night is November’. It was a
long process.
It was important to me that the book was my own, and not a product of a
publishing house.
I am grateful to Troubador for the creative freedom it has given me, whilst also
providing a help in the areas I am clueless about – which is basically all except
writing.
What do you love the most about your published book?
I’d say two things give me the most pride about my work, and this collection.
1 - It does not shy away from difficult subjects. I could and would never write
anything that I don’t believe in, and that wasn’t a true reflection of the world I see
around me. To me, writing anything else would feel like a pointless exercise. So,
when I read my work and it reads, and more importantly, feels like days of my
life, I am pleased.
2 – It is unconventional in language and in form. I want my work to be unique and
to break boundaries of what is traditionally accepted in literature and in art. I want
my work to be a book no other writer could, or would, have written. I believe ‘The
Dream Must Die’ to be that book.
Which book do you wish you had written?
The very hungry caterpillar. I imagine my life would have been much simpler.
How do you like to write? Do you have a routine that you like to follow?
I have no creative process. Couplets, lines, and visions of poems creep up on
me, constantly. It is wonderful, and in the times when it stops, I am in agony.
I scribble down anything that I think might be useful and later attempt to collate
those ideas and fill in the gaps. This is the most authentic way I can create. I sit
with my guinea pigs and a cup of ginger tea, and at last, I am born. I exist.
What are your top tips for aspiring writers?
Don’t stop, ever. You owe it to yourself.
Be true to who you are, write what you want to write, tell the story of who you are.
The right people will listen.
What books or authors have had the most influence on your own writing,
and why?
I could spend hours answering this. My influences are primarily musical. The
lyricism of Morrissey, Stuart Murdoch and Mark Morriss influence me greatly.
Music is a constant for me, I like to drown in it. I feel it swirl around me.
I love Morrissey’s wit and sturdy gracefulness, Murdoch’s creation of completely
real and ethereal characters and places, and nobody writes a deep-cutting
internal rhyme quite like Mark Morriss.
In terms of literary influences, I know Anne Sexton, Jack Gilbert, and Christina
Rossetti better than some of my friends.
I’m more grateful every day for all of my influences. They pave the way for me to
create and provide springboard for my work.
What books are you reading at the moment?
At the moment I am reading ‘drive your plow over the bones of the dead’ by Olga
Tokarczuk. The themes and writing style of it are making my head spin.
I’ve read lots of Kafka this year too. The words in ‘Letters to Milena’ are more
myself than I am.
Jim Higo’s book of poetry ‘Sussed’ is also a brilliant read. Highly recommend.
How do you find out about new books?
It’s mostly word of mouth. I tend to avoid the trends and I’m very selective about
who I listen to for recommendations.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Be nice to animals.
(Jacob Davies Live at The Attic, 27th June 2026)
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